Surviving Breast Cancer

CHESTER - With October being breast cancer awareness month, the Times Plain Dealer is featuring a survivor – Tracy Rice. 

Rice, age 46, is married to Brian and has two daughters, Taylor (24) and Jordan (21). They live in Chester, Iowa. 

Rice has always had a very active lifestyle. The family has a cabin with a pond in Iowa and a cabin on a lake in Minnesota. They enjoy fishing, camping, ATVs and horses. 

Daughter Taylor lives with multiple sclerosis and Jordan was diagnosed with epilepsy. Rice said, “They both are doing very well on their medications.” 

Rice decided to get a mammogram, something she did not do on a regular basis. There is a family history of breast cancer in her family, Rice tested negative to the Brca gene, which can indicate a risk for breast cancer. 

On March 3, 2021, Rice was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. She said, “I had a feeling they were going to find something. I don’t know why.” 

Rice’s cancer journey began.

She emphasizes, “I was not going to lay around and cry about this diagnosis. I was going at it with humor. I did this for my family and myself.”

Rice was told that she would most likely lose her hair. She worked as a cosmetologist in the past, and now has a house cleaning business. She decided not make this a sad or scary thing. So she put on a pink tutu, went into the woods near her home and shaved her own head. After which she had a photographer friend take pictures to remember this part of the journey. Rice has since had the friend do other photo shoots for documentation of this time in her life. 

She had her journey well documented on social media, explaining, “This kept people informed of my condition and how I was doing. It hopefully helped other women, too.”

Rice had a lumpectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments. They had to put a port in to administer the chemotherapy. Her daughters didn’t like the way that looked and neither did she, so she had it removed a few weeks before the doctors wanted her to. 

Rice has been very positive throughout her breast cancer journey. She said, “I had no pain or down time during my treatment. I have great friends and family who took me to every appointment.”

Part of the humor Rice exhibited during her journey was when she had a picture taken of herself and Brian — both with bald heads and the quote, “Who wears it better?”

Rice wanted to do as many things during her treatments as possible. She noted, “I scheduled as many camping trips and family functions as possible.” 

Approximately one in eight women will be diagnosed with Invasive Breast Cancer in their lifetime. One in 39 women will die from breast cancer. This is based on The American Cancer Society.

Rice is one of the lucky ones. As of August 2021, she is cancer-free. Last weekend she was able to ride her horse for the first time since her diagnosis. 

Her motto is: #letsdothedamnthing, referring to getting your mammogram. 

Rice stated, “I found faith I didn’t even know I had. That helped me find peacfullness as well.”

She went on to say, “I am aware that what I went through was not as hard of a battle as what others have been through. I was lucky.” But she wanted others to know, “I still see you.”

She is also well aware the cancer can come back at anytime and anywhere, but doesn’t dwell on that and lives each day to the fullest. She lives as a strong, funny and grateful, survivor of breast cancer. 

Rice feels fortunate she was able to save her own life by getting that mammogram. And she encourages all women to have it done.